The first sign by which it pleased God to show the merit and glory of this His martyr was concerning his relics, which were eagerly sought for by many Catholics at the very time of his martyrdom. Amongst the [pg 302] which there was one young man,[511] who[512] stood by the block where the martyr's body was cut up, with great desire at least to get some drop of his holy blood.[513] And whilst he had these thoughts, not daring to take where he desired for fear he might be espied, it fortuned that the hangman having cut off the martyr's head and showed it to the people (as the custom is), he cast it into a basket standing there of purpose, full of straw, to hold the head and quarters when they were divided. Out of this basket did leap a straw, or ear void of corn, in strange manner into the hand of this young man, which he beholding, and seeing some blood upon it, kept it with great care, and no little joy that he had obtained his desire. He carried it away safely and delivered it unto a Catholic gentlewoman[514] of his acquaintance, who kept it in a reliquary with great devotion; and after three or four days,[515] a devout Catholic gentleman coming thither, she showed him the bloody straw, which he was also glad to see and reverence; but beholding the same more curiously than the others had done, he saw a perfect face, as if it had been painted, upon one of the husks of the empty ear, and showed the same unto the company, which they all did plainly behold, and with no small wonder, but with much greater joy did acknowledge the mighty hand of God, Who can and doth often use the meanest creatures to set forth His glory, and is able both out of stones and straws to raise a sufficient defence for His faithful servants.
They put up the straw again with great admiration, [pg 303] and kept it now with much more reverence and devotion than before. This was quickly published to many of the chiefest Catholics about London, who much desiring to see this wonder, it was carried unto divers, who all are witnesses of this truth. At length it came to the Council's ear, and some of them desiring much to see it, it was granted, being now in the keeping of a great person,[516] but with promise to have it safely restored; so that some of them did see it, and did much admire it, affirming that it must needs be more than natural. Others after desired to see it and to seize upon it, because now the fame did grow so great of this image of Father Garnett drawn by the hand of God, whose image and memory they sought to deface in all they could, that they feared the evidence of the miracle would plead against their proceedings and prove him innocent whom they had punished as guilty. Therefore the Bishop of Canterbury[517] sought to have the miraculous straw into his hands, but it was denied, and none would acknowledge where it was to be found. He learned out the party to whom the keeping of it was first committed, and sent for her[518] husband, who was a known Catholic and a virtuous man. He examined him strictly how it came to pass, and where the straw was. The Catholic affirmed the truth of the thing, and described it unto him in words; but said it was not now in his keeping, and he knew not where to find it. And when they could get no other answer of him, they committed him to prison; but afterwards, having sundry and great friends in the Court, he got out upon bonds to appear again at certain days' warning.
In the meantime it happened that two were miraculously [pg 304] cured by application of the same straw. One was a gentlewoman in great peril of her life by danger of childbirth, who, when she had sustained long and painful travail and could not be delivered of her burthen, and now was out of hope of life, unless she might obtain some help from God, some of her friends made earnest means to get this holy straw to bring unto her; which being obtained, and the straw brought and applied with great reverence, presently she received help, and was delivered by the mighty hand of God and merits of the martyr, whom no midwife's skill or endeavours could help before.
Another was the gentlewoman herself who first had this miraculous relic delivered her to keep. For she being very much subject to sickness, and sometimes in such extremity therewith that you would not think she could be able to live an hour, it happened that in one of her extremest fits, when she could find no medicine or means that could bring her any ease, she earnestly desired a special friend to make suit for the straw to be returned unto her for a small time, which was granted; and as soon as it came (she receiving it with great devotion and reverence) she presently found ease, and within half an hour was so perfectly well that she rose from her bed, and went to entertain some strangers that then were in the house, and “erat una ex discumbentibus.”[519]
This sudden and strange cure of hers being spoken of by divers Catholics, it came out to be known unto the Council, who sent again for the husband of the gentlewoman, and took this new occasion to commit him the second time to prison.
The Council afterwards understanding that this miraculous picture in the straw had been showed to divers painters in London, they sent for the painters, and willed them to make the like portrait to that which they had [pg 305] seen in a like empty ear of corn; but they all answered it was not possible for them to do it: neither could the draught of that face, in so little a room and so loose a groundwork as that empty ear, be otherwise drawn than by supernatural power. And this testimony they gave of it that had both skill to judge and no will to favour the Catholic cause (being in opinion heretics), but only convinced in their understanding by the evidence of the miracle.[520]
Another marvellous thing which it pleased Almighty God to show for a public testimony of the glory which blessed Father Garnett now possesseth, is a visible and apparent circle of red about his head in the form of a crown, which was and is to be seen about his head, where it is set up, as the custom is, with the heads of others that died for treason. This hath had so many witnesses as would go to behold it, which were not a few, and besides, they did affirm that his face did continue so comely and with so pleasing a countenance, as it seemed rather the head of a man alive than separated from the body; and all his quarters also so purely white, that it was much admired by all that did behold them.
To these I may adjoin the crown of grass which did grow in Mr. Abington his court, in the house where both [pg 306] blessed Father Garnett and blessed Father Ouldcorne were taken, which may be taken as a sign of his glory and crown of immortality as well as Father Ouldcorne's. And of this I spake sufficiently in the last chapter but one. I could hereunto add a vision which both of these blessed Fathers had in the Tower the 7th of March before their martyrdom, the very night before they were hung upon the torture. It happened in this manner. Father Ouldcorne in his sleep did seem to behold a very sumptuous throne set up, with great care and cost adorned, at which sight when Father Ouldcorne much admired, not knowing to what end it should be prepared, it seemed unto him that there entered into the room the most[521] Reverend Father General, and with him some other ancient Fathers; and that Father Ouldcorne did demand of Father General what should be the meaning or intention of that throne so much adorned; and that the Father should answer that both Father Garnett and himself should presently be professed. To which Father Ouldcorne made answer that Father Garnett was already professed. Then Father General replied, he would now have him make a more excellent profession than before. This vision Father Ouldcorne the next morning told unto his keeper, desiring he would tell it unto Father Garnett, which he performed; and Father Garnett assured him the very same thing, in the same manner, had also that night appeared unto him. But Father Ouldcorne did see it again the next night after. This was so generally spoken of in the Tower about that time, that if there had been no other means afterwards to know the truth, that alone had been sufficient to publish it.
Now, when the other foresaid marvels were seen about his head after his martyrdom, and that the miraculous image of the straw was visibly seen by many Catholics, and generally known to all, you may well think that Catholics were greatly animated, receiving now, in their [pg 307] greatest distress, such comforts from the merciful hand of God, “qui est Pater misericordiarum et Deus totius consolationis, qui consolatur nos in omni tribulatione nostrâ.”[522] And, indeed, the effect of these heavenly comforts was such in the hearts of poor afflicted Catholics, but especially the force of the martyr's blood and the merits of his innocent death (which now was plainly seen by all well-meaning men, and acknowledged by many also of his enemies, as before I have related), that whereas the Catholics did already feel a sharp shower of persecution in continual searchings and imprisonments and vexations much more than in former years they had experienced; and whereas they might easily discern a greater storm coming towards them, seeing, as it were, a thick and dark cloud coming on apace, carried furiously with the wind in such sort that it was likely to spread itself over all their hemisphere, intending to make a destroying deluge, no less universal than violent: though they might plainly see and hear daily thundered in their ears what cutting and cruel laws were intended and prepared against the Parliament which then was at hand: though they were assured beforehand that the penal statutes which then were to be enacted were so many and so merciless that their life would be more tedious (and terrible to many minds) than death itself: though they could find no friends that could or would now oppose themselves “murum pro domo Dei;”[523] the noblemen that were Catholics or esteemed friends to Catholics, together with all principal recusants, being clapt in prison; and all others that before did seem to favour the cause now being blown away with this storm of persecution, and carried with the current of the present stream rather to oppose themselves against Catholics, both in word and action, than any ways to seek the release or [pg 308] relaxation of their present afflictions or prepared penalties: though all this, and more than I can in this place commodiously set down, were felt and feared by the Catholics at this time, yet such was the goodness of God towards us, such the force of His grace obtained by the merits of these holy martyrs, that presently, upon the death of blessed Father Garnett, you might see his innocent blood had warmed all their hearts; you might see in them a new fervour, expecting persecution with a peaceable and cheerful mind; you might see them everywhere begin to prepare themselves neither to resist nor run away, but how to bear the blows of persecution with Christian patience.
And although there were some few examples of human frailty, making choice rather to do against their conscience in going to heretical service than to adventure the loss of their earthly commodities, yet these were so few in number, and so followed afterwards with the remorse of conscience and the justice of God, that their example did rather confirm than weaken the constancy of other Catholics. I could hear but of three men of any note then fallen in that sort, whereof one was a knight, of a worthy family, and himself ever a devout Catholic; his lady also, ever forward but much affected to those[524] men that would not at the first submit themselves to [the] Archpriest, whom His Holiness had appointed to be their Superior in England. This good gentleman, as I heard, having long paid the statute for his recusancy, which is 20l. a month, now upon this increase of persecution, and the commodity of his recusancy which should accrue unto the King being given unto a Scottish man, the Catholic gentleman offered him 2,000l. for a fine, and to pay the rent of 20l. a month, as he was wont to do beside; but the Scottish man refusing to take his offer upon hope to make a greater gain of him, the knight would [pg 309] not endure to be made a prey to a man of so insatiable a mind, and therefore resolved for the time to forfeit rather the greater goods, the goods of grace, and said he would conform himself to the law. He went, therefore, to their heretical service, and saved the forfeiture of his worldly estate, but with so great a torment of conscience that, poor gentleman, he fell into such fits of melancholy and distemper therewith, that it was generally given out that he was distract of his wits.